My Face on the Internets

8 years ago

6 January 2011

I have always been the person to hide behind the camera it seemed. From the home movie trailers made with the neighbours to trips on my vacations, I always seemed to avoid being in front of the camera as much as possible. Then I started getting involved with various websites on the internet, most notably Dailybooth and YouTube.

Jumping in front of the camera on a regular basis was not an easy thing for me. As outgoing as I am in person (and quite huggy), I always felt awkward smiling at a camera. It just was not my thing. Then it all started on Dailybooth, taking a photo once a day, and usually holding something up to distract away from my face. It might have helped that I knew that nobody I knew was looking at the photos, but for a photographer, it was still quite strange getting in front of the camera. I did this for a few days, and then a few months… getting more comfortable and (I though) interesting as I posted more.

A few months later, web cam shots became taking photos with my real camera and before I knew it I somehow convinced myself to make a YouTube video. I had been watching many youtubers for months before I ever thought of doing it myself, wondering how they figured out what to say and cut their movies. Then there I was, sitting in my chair at my desk, yelling and talking 932mph at a camera about something I don’t even remember. A few clicks (and a couple of hours later), there it was, out in the world for everyone to see.

Now those moments where I decided to go for it are already many months passed. Since then I have posted hundreds of photos and blurbs on Dailybooth and quite a few videos on YouTube. I even started blogging more regularly and projecting myself even further into the world.

2010 had been one crazy year between all my travels, switching jobs, and moving cities. It was made even more crazy by the fact that it was my first year to be tweeted, posted, boothed, and vlogged across the internet.